Broadcast Engineers

Employers

The Federal Communications Commission reported that, as of June 2024, there were a total of 33,326 broadcast stations, including 15,389 radio stations and about 1,766 commercial and educational television stations in the United States. These stations might be independently operated or owned and operated by a network. Smaller stations in smaller cities are good starting places, but it is at the larger networks and stations in major cities where the higher salaries are found. Some broadcast engineers work outside of the radio and television industries, producing, for example, corporate employee training and sales programs. Approximately 26,190 broadcast technicians are employed in the United States.

Starting Out

In many towns and cities there are public-access cable television stations and public radio stations where high school and college students interested in broadcasting and broadcast technology can obtain an internship. An entry-level technician should be flexible about job location; most begin their careers at small stations and with experience may advance to larger-market stations.